The property is in the NT.  I'm not sure what the vendor's situation is, however I know that they had been considering keeping the house as an investment property even though the house was on the market.  They have already moved overseas.

I was under the impression that settlement dates can be changed provided that all parties agree to the change of date.  Obviously if the vendors are settling that day then yes, we could be in strife.  At this stage our contract is still conditional. Interesting article Terryw. I've been harassing (!) the mortgage broker and conveyancer for solutions and maybe a case like that will give them an understanding as to why we are getting quite anxious about the situation
Cheers
M